The Golf Inc Summit: a game-changing idea

It’s easy to say it doesn’t matter. Missing a conference is no big deal right? You are busy at the club; so busy, in fact, that you should not take the time to be away. What might you learn anyway? Haven’t the past four years been a masterclass for golf course operators and their managers? The conference in question is sponsored by this magazine. I am suggesting that attending the upcoming Golf Inc. Summit just might be a game-changer. It will be a first-class event because of the experienced team pulling it together. But why? How can a few days at a conference mean anything more than a bloated credit card statement?

It was the late 1980s when I became a conference convert. I had the chance to see Tom Peters, then the hottest management guru in the world. His star was on the rise, and I got to see and hear him up close. This was my game-changer. From then on, despite no employer providing cash support, I began attending conferences and seminars for the next three decades. At first, they opened my eyes to what was going on in the wider world of business. Beyond that, it was about digging into session titles that would provide, not the rah-rah enthusiasm of a two-day high, but real information, important for my professional growth. Those sessions upped my game and then my income for the balance of my career. They created a curiosity, a need to know more in me that remains to this day.

What about you? What might you and your managers gain from rubbing elbows with industry leaders? These leaders do not teach in classrooms but operate or oversee golf organizations around the country. This In My Opinion post will provide three thoughts as to why you should consider attending this year’s Golf Inc. Strategies Summit in Hilton Head Island, S.C. from October 1-3. Here are my thoughts:

You get away from the club for a few special days. Unlike a vacation, however, your mind will still be about the business, but on a very different level. You get to spend time in a great space and converse with leaders, happy to connect about an industry ready to transition after four go-go years.

You have the opportunity to attend targeted conference sessions with those who are in the trenches like you. This is a gathering of doers, people who own, operate, and manage golf properties and other businesses. Any theory discussed is the added ideas exchanged in the halls and restaurants after session hours. You have the opportunity to hear from top operators, managers, and…